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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. track — to keep track
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. shower — to wash
  9. track — a song
  10. land — ground
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. foot — a measure
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. land — to come down
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. shower — rain
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lean — thin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com